Portable typewriter



Dec. 15, 1959 F. A. SUIF PORTABLE TYPEWRITER 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 4, 1957 TEL Dec. 15, 1959 F. A. sun- PORTABLE TYPEWRITER Filad March 4. 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 llVVf/V/OR 757-11000 1490/ .52

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Dec. 15, 1959 F. A. sum

PORTABLE TYPEWRITER 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 4, 1957 .Lu ll w WM QM. N. kn M 761-0000 l/er/ 501% Dec. 15, 1959 sun:

PORTABLE TYPEWRITER Filed March 4, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Ala 4777017.-

ralmnl I/ew/ United States Patent PORTABLE TYPEWRITER Fernand Albert Suif, Mention, France Application March 4, 1957, Serial No. 643,733 7 Claims. (Cl. 197-22) The present invention relates to a new typewriter, in which most of the-members, with the exception of some of the joint axles, are made of parts of moulded synthetic material, these various members being connected to each other soas to limit friction therebetween to a minimum and also to reduce their number.

The manner in which the machine is made according to the invention makes it possible to employ a large number of identical parts thereby greatly facilitating the assembly thereof in an extremely short space of time.

.According to the invention, the machine, which is made up of elements of moulded synthetic material, comprises a base-plate, supporting transverse spindles for carrying identical slides. The said slides are placed side by side and respectively are equipped with fingers formed opposite to rows of push-rods provided with keys and guided in sleeves. These sleeves are formed by a casing covering the base-plate of the machine. The said slides are by small connecting rods connected to type bars hinged on a curved pin carried by a cradle which latter fits into a support formed by the base-plate. The bottom portion of said base plate has lugs on to which a movable guiding slide is hinged, for guiding a carriage impelled by a resilient member and an escape pawl, con trolled from the slides which respectively form an abutment activating a hinged stirrup. At least one branch of said stirrup is connected by a rod system to an escape pawl which is connected to the guide of a ribbon wound on reels and movable at the same time as the carriage when a recoil spring of the escapement pawl brings the latter back to its initial position and which, by the rod system subjecting this pawl to the slides, brings the latter I Figure 1 is a partly cut-away plan, showing" the machine according to the invention.

Figure 2 is a section taken along the line 11-11 of Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is a section taken along the line III--III of Fig. 1 and turned by 180 in relation to the section shown inFig. 2. 7 r

Figure 4 is a partial elevation-section showing the details of some of the parts that appear in Fig.2.

Figure 5 is an. elevation taken along the line V -V of Fig. 4, this elevation being partially cut away.

Figure 6 is a view seen from the top, partially cut away, along the line VIVI of Fig. 4, of a type bar.

Figure 7 is a partial top plan view showing the position of one in relation to the other of two of the parts of the machine, one of these parts-appearing partly in -Fig. 4..

60 wardly extending projections 23 (Fig. 2) which act as Figure 8 is a section taken along the line VIIIVIII of Fig. 4.

Figure 9 is a top plan view of the part holding the type bars that are more particularly shown in Fig. 1.

Figure 10 is a section taken. along the line X-X of Fig. 9.

Figure 11 is a partial side elevation similar to Fig. 4, but on a larger scale showing an alternative.

The machine shown in the drawings has parts forming it which are, for the most part, made of plastic material,

such as those known under the name of polystyrene,

nylon or other similar materials, possessing mechanical characteristics capable of meeting the requirements for which they are intended.

At its bottom part, the machine comprises a base-plate 1 which is made, for example, by moulding, so that this base-plate forms various elements which are hereinafter described and which are intended to ensure the holding or fixing of a certain number of the parts of which the machine is made.

More particularly, this base-plate, by means of 21 marginal border 2 pertaining thereto, carries a casing 3 for covering all the working parts of the machine, with the exception of the carriage 4 supporting the cylinder 5.

The carriage 4 is intended to slide on a slide 6 carrying, by the attachments 7 thereof, the spindles 8 for holding ribbon reels 9, whose movement is efiected by means of springs 10 (Fig. 3), for example, spirally coiled, which simultaneously effect the travel of the carriage 4, when a pawl 11, co-operating with a rack 12 of this carriage, pivots around a spindle 13, as explained hereinafter, so that the teeth of a rack 12 may successively escape after each touch.

When pivoting around spindle 13, pawl 11 simultaneously acts to raise and lower the ribbon-guide 14 (Fig. 2) acting to bring the ribbon exactly opposite to the striking point, whatever the position of the slide 6 which moves vertically, for typing capitals or small letters. The spindle 13, around which the pawl 11 pivots, is carried by the slide 6 to which a spring 15 is attached,'for returning the pawl 11 to its initial position, after it has revolved as explained hereinafter.

The slide 6 is connected to the base-plate 1 by means of a spindle 16 (Figs. 2 and 3) inserted in lugs 17 and 18 which are respectively formed on this slide and baseplate 1. V

A cam 6a (Fig. 3) or another controlling member enables slide 6 to be raised by pivoting it around the spindle 16, when this cam or other member is controlled from certain of the keys of the machine, by means of a rod system 6b.

The casing 3, which is also advantageously made by moulding, has borders 19 on its part forming the front of the machine, which are confined by grooves 20 (Fig.1).

Each of the grooves 29 has apertures 21 extending transversally, and apertures 22 (Fig. 8) extending longitudinally intercepting the apertures 21, so as appreciably to confine T-shaped apertures.

, From the bottom of easing 3 there projecting downguides similar to the apertures 21, 22.

24 designates small plates forming the key levers, which are engaged in the apertures 21 and which on each of their two lateral sides, comprise guides 25 entering into the apertures 22. Since the interior of the projections 23 is shaped like that of the apertures 21, 22, the small plates 24 and their guides 25 are properly guided inside these projections. The tops of the small plates 24 act as a support for the keys 26 made of bulb-shaped elements whose tops are preferably slightly concave and whose bottoms advantageously have a.

groove of a similar shape to that of the small plates 24, so that the upper edges of the latter enter into this groove for facilitating the positioning of the keys which are then attached to said small plates 24 by gluing, soldering or other suitable process according to the kind of synthetic material of which said small plates and keys are made.

The edge of the small plates 24, opposite to that which fits into the groove of the keys 26, is shaped so as to have a ramp 27 and an abutment 28 which is intended to bear against the lower edge of the corresponding projection 23, when the key levers formed by the small plates 24 are in their highest'raised position.

29 designates elongated parts which are all identical, whose number is equal to that of the key levers 24, these parts being maintained by transversal rods 36*, 31 which pass through slots 32, 33 with which they are provided near to each of their ends. The rods 30, 31 are maintained by lugs 34, 35 formed by the base-plate 1, near to each of its lateral sides.

In order to ensure the proper longitudinal guiding of the parts 29 in relation to each other and without having considerable friction between them, on each of their two lateral sides, they have slides 36 and 37 in contact with each other, so as to form struts as well as guiding parts.

As will be seen from the drawings, the slides 36, 37 are advantageously formed along one of the edges of the slots 32, 33 which sometimes have burrs, owing to the way these parts are made, which are advantageously manufactured by moulding synthetic material.

So that all the parts 29 should be identical to each other, which enables them to be made in a single mould, they each comprise, on one and/ or the other of its lateral sides, fingers 38 whose number is equal to the number of rows of key levers 24, the position of these fingers corresponding to that of each of these rows. In this manner, there is of necessity a finger 38 opposite to one of the ramps 27 formed by the small plates 24 of which the key levers are made.

The parts 29 are shaped so that, on their upper edge and near to their front end, they have an abutment 39 against which the cross-bar 40 (Figs. 1 and 2) of a stirrup-shaped part 41 bears, whose lateral side ends 42 are hinged around pins 43 (Figs. 2 and 3) carried by the base-plate 1. The length of the cross-bar 40 is such that the abutments 39 of each of the parts 29 can come into contact with it.

The lateral sides 42 of the part 41 advantageously carry .fingers 43 near to their middle part, acting as hinges for two side-members 44 extending along the lateral sides of the casing 3 and connected together by a cross-bar 45 (Fig. 3).

At its middle part, this cross-bar 45 is provided with a housing which is traversed by a pin 46 (Fig. 2) traversing the base of the pawl 11.

As will be seen from the drawing, since the pawl 11 is continually subjected to the action of the spring 15, it always has the tendency to move the frame formed by the frame-members 44 and the cross-bar 45, in the direction of the arrow f (Figs. 2 and 3), so that the stirrup 41 is always urged in the direction of the arrow f and the cross-bar 49, which bears against the abutments 39 (Fig. 2) of each of the parts 29, maintains the latter in a position in which the fingers 38 tend to raise the key levers to bring them to their highest raised posi- 1011.

The rear lower edge of the parts 29 is shaped so as to have a ramp 47 of relatively great length, acting for fitting riders 48 which can be placed from the position marked by the numeral 48 as far as that marked by the numeral48a (Figs. 2 and 4). These riders have small tongues 49 into which hooks 50 are passed (Figs. 2 and 4,), formed at one of the ends of the small connecting rods 51, whose free end 42 is bent back and the other end of which terminates in a knuckle-joint 52.

The small connecting rods 51, which all have exactly the same length, are intended to connect each of the parts 29 to a corresponding type bar 53 (Figs. 4, 5, 6 and ll). The type bars 53, which are advantageously made of plastic material and which preferably have types 54 which are directly moulded, are all of the same length and only differ as to the angle of their parts which carry or from the type 54.

At their ends opposite to that forming the type 54, the bars 53 have an approximately circular part 55 for the passage of a pin 56, which is described below in more detail.

In the central plane of circular part 55 of the bars 53 there is provided a slot 57 (Figs. 4, 5 and 6) and the parts 58, 59 which bound this slot have a bore 60 so as to confine a housing into which the knuckle-joints 52 enter which are integrally made on or fixedto the end of the bent part 51a of the small connecting rods 51.

The particular method of fitting the small connecting rods to the type bars enables any projection to be avoided on the lateral sides of the latter and makes it possible to activate the type bars, no matter what angle may be formed by the small connecting rods 51 on the latter.

The pin 56, on to which the various type bars are hinged, is shaped so as to form a part of a circle and is arranged in a groove 61 (Figs. 9 and 10) formed from a part 62 (Figs. 1 and 2, 4, 9 and 10) hereinafter called a cradle.

This cradle 62 comprises a half-moon shaped baseplate 63 with ribs 64 separated from each other by grooves 65 of equal width bounding parallel channels for housing the type bars 53, hinged to pin 56 in the groove 61 which latter is provided in ribs 64, said bars 53 normally resting on an apron 66 connecting each of the ribs. At its two ends, the cradle has converging lugs 67, 68 bounding a guiding channel 69 for guiding the ends forming the type 54 of the type bars 53.

The positioning of the cradle 62 is ensured by means of two studs 70, 71, connected by a rib 72, these studs and rib being engaged in a housing of corresponding shape bounded by the bottom plate 1 in which they are simply inserted, so that the base plate 63 bears on the top of a cheek 73 (Fig. 2) of said bottom plate 1 whose underside has an aperture 74 for facilitating the mounting, and if required, repairing the machine.

The cradle described above enables the members of the machine to be mounted most expeditiously; actually, the type bars are first of all slipped on to the pin 56 in accordance with said pin engaging the groove 61 bounded by the ribs 64. After said pin 56 has been secured by engaging it in the holes 75 and 76 (Fig. 9) of the lugs 67 and 68, the type bars are provided with small connecting rods 51 whose knuckle-joints are forcibly inserted in the housings described above.

The free ends of the small connecting rods 51, which project outside the aperture 74, bounded by the baseplate, are then provided with stirrups 43 which are taken successively on to the ramps 47 of the various parts 29 in relation to which these stirrups occupy variable positions according to the places respectively occupied by the type bars in their holding cradle. The stirrups 48 are finally fixed to the parts 29, after being positioned, by means of soldering or gluing, according to the kind of material of which they are made.

So that the equal displacements of the parts 29 produce the same equal displacements of the type bars, the angle of the base-plate 63 of the cradle 62 in relation to the horizontal is the same as the angle, also in relation to the horizontal, of the ramps 47 of each of the parts 29.

The working of the machine described above can be clearly understood from the description given above. Actually, as can be seen, when one of the keys 26 is touched, this has the'efiect of bringing down the small corresponding plate 24, so that the ramp 27 of this small plate moves the part 29 to which it is attached by one of the fingers 38, in the direction of the arrow f this part slipping on the transverse pins 30, 31.

The movement imparted to the part 29 has the efiect of activating, by means of the small connecting rod 51 to which it is attached, the corresponding type bar 53 which pivots around the pin 56 to strike on the cylinder 5. Simultaneously, the movement of the part 29 causes the cross-bar 40 of the stirrup 41 to pivot, so that the pawl 11 is itself pivoted thereby raising, by this movement, the ribbon-guide 14 to bring it into the proper position during typing. 1

When the pressure is removed from the key 26, a spring 15 returns the pawl 11 to its initial position, by allowing one of the teeth of the rack 12 to be released and by bringing, by means of the cross-bar 45 and sidemembers 44, the part 29 to its initial position, which part in its turn brings the key lever which has been activated, back to its initial position.

The travel of the carriage being ensured by the spiral spring 10 driving one of the reels 9, the latter also revolves during the return movement of the pawl 11, so that a new part of the ribbon is brought into the typing position, after each impulse.

The machine described above also comprises a spacebar 77 which is maintained by two levers 78, 79 (Figs. 1, 2 and 3), whose end is hinged to the transverse pin 30.

The levers 78 and 79 comprise a small side 80 (Fig. 3) forming a hook to which one of the ends of a spring 81 is attached, the other end being attached to a hook in the base-plate 2.

On their lower edges, the levers 78 form fingers 82 which are intended to engage the edges of spurs 83 (Fig. 3) on the lateral sides 42 of the stirrup 41, which controls the movement of the pawl 11, by means of the sidemembers 44 and cross-bar 45.

As can be clearly seen in Fig. 3, when the stirrup 41 is activated by means of the space-bar 7, the pawl 11 alone is activated, without any of the type bars being moved.

According to the alternative embodiment shown in Fig. 11, the type bars 51 have, at their bases, the same circular part 55 as that previously described. This part 55 also bounds a slot 57.

The hole 60, previously described, is replaced by curved stud-holes 60a, concentric to the spindle 66 and made in each of the two wings bounding the slot 57.

As in the foregoing, the slot 57 acts as a housing for the knuckle-joint 52 attached to the raised end 51a of the small connecting rods 51, this knuckle-joint being moreover guided inside the curved stud-holes 60a without, however, projecting towards the outside.

When the type bars out of gear, for which they bear on the apron 66, the knuckle-joint 52 is substantially placed at the lower end of the stud-holes 60a, owing to the weight of the small connecting rod 51, whose joint on the riders 48 is a slack one.

Since the lower end of the stud-holes 60a is situated below the pin 56, it will be evident the type bars will be engaged by means of a relative large lever arm when the keys 26 are moved, which enables the type bars to be shifted, without exerting much force on the keys, thus making typing much easier.

At the end of the stroke, the type bars occupy the position 53a, and hence the stud-holes 60a will be in the position shown by dotted lines at 6011 so that the knucklejoints 52 tend to come in the same manner as formerly into the end of these stud-holes, thereby facilitating the return of said type bars towards their disengaged position, because the action that may be exerted on them is still continued by a relatively larger lever arm, due to the fact that at this moment the ends of the stud-holes opposite to those previously considered are situated below the pin 56.

Since the parts 29 and 24 are made of moulded parts, which are easy to produce, are of restricted number and are all identical to each other, and since the various parts fit on to the supports directly moulded and formed by the base-plate 1 of the machine, the machine can be mounted in a very short time, about twenty minutes, which makes its manufacture extremely simple and not requiring skilled labour.

In spite of its simplicity of achievement, this machine is capable of turning out accurate work, as the type can be made according to very rigorous dimension figures and the strike on the cylinder 5 can be made in absolutely the same manner as that obtained with an ordinary machine, more particularly in the case where the cylinder 5 is provided with a cover of flexible material that may be rubber.

Another advantage of the machine described above is that the parts can be very quickly exchanged in the event of a break or wear. Moreover, the arrangement of the parts forming it makes it possible to obtain a unit that is very thin, completely stream-lined, thus preventing the working parts from being subjected to impacts.

The invention is not restricted to the form of embodiment shown and described in detail, but also encloses any modifications within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination in a typewriter of plastic material: a base plate, a slide on said base plate, a spring urged carriage with a rotatable cylinder slidably mounted in said slide, a cradle fitted on said base plate in front of said cylinder and provided with substantially radial guiding grooves and with an axle extending transversally to said grooves, a set of type bars pivotally mounted on said axle and respectively housed and guided in said grooves, a set of connecting actuating rods having one of their ends pivotally connected to said type bars near the foot thereof, a set of sliding members, said sliding members being arranged above said base plate in parallel arrangement with regard to each other and having respectively connected thereto the free ends of said connecting rods, vertically guided key levers disposed in a plurality of rows and provided with cam portions to respectively engage and operate corresponding sliding members, and a pivotally mounted spring urged stirrup part engaging said sliding members and controlling said carriage in such a way that said carriage is operated in timed relationship to said sliding members and type bars displaced by said key levers so that said key levers and sliding members and type bars are brought back to initial position after actuation.

2. A typewriter as set forth in claim 1, comprising a cover for said sliding members, said cover being carried by said base plate and being provided with slotted sockets to guide said key levers, said key levers being shaped as small plates provided with lateral guides.

3. A typewriter as set forth in claim 2, in which said key levers are further provided at their lower portions with abutments engaging the foot of said sockets to limit the return movement of said key levers.

4. A typewriter as set forth in claim 1, in which said sliding members comprise identical flat elements having an inclined lower edge for connection with said connecting rods actuating said type bars, said elements being provided with lateral fingers the number of which corresponds to the number of rows of key levers respectively engaging by their cam portions one of said fingers, said elements having further lateral slides bearing against at least one adjacent sliding member and an abutment which said stirrup part engages.

5. A typewriter as set forth in claim 1, in which the foot of said type bars is substantially of circular shape,

housing so that the connection between each type bar 5' and each corresponding connecting actuating rod occurs like a ball and socket connection 6. A typewriter as set forth in claim 5, in which said circular portion of each of the type bars is provided with a substantially half-moon shaped aperture extending in 10 part below the axle about which said type bars rotate and in which is engaged said ball carried by the corresponding connecting rod.

7. A typewriter as set forth in claim 1, in which said cradle carrying the type bars and the lower edges of said 15 a v 8 v sliding members are inclined and extend in parallel arrangement to each other, a plurality of riders respectively supported by said lower edges of said sliding members, all of said connecting rods being of the same length and being connected by said riders at different positions on the inclined lower'edge of the respective sliding members in such a manner that the striking of any one of said type bars occurs for equal strokes of said key levers.

References Cited in the file of this patent FOREIGN PATENTS 

